At the heart of North
by AutumnFirstLight
Summary: A short snapshot of North's life. After all, who is Santa Claus without Mrs. Claus?


**Hello. I hope you all enjoy this. I thought I would give North a wife, since who is Santa Claus without Mrs. Claus?**

North, as he was called by his guardian friends, was not a solitary man by any means. The Spirit of Christmas was never meant to be alone for his was a holiday of family and friends and gifts given and received. As such, it was not only yetis and elves that accompanied him in his polar life; it was also his wife.

Mrs. Claus' name was Faith. Some would say she robbed the cradle with North, since he was easily two millennia her junior, but despite her age she never seemed to lose her pleasant nature nor her youthful appearance. She was short in stature, with eyes that often twinkled, and a deceptive strength. Her hair and eyes were brown, her pale skin was dotted with freckles and she loved nothing more then to see the wonder on the face of Nicholas North.

It was the perfect companionship; without faith, faith in mankind, faith in the future, faith in the unseen, the guardians would be without a job. Faith's own job was much subtler than a holiday and she worked tirelessly year-round, sending out light touches of faith to those whose hearts were hardening, and bright tendrils of inspiration to those whose hearts were not. Of course, her job resided mainly with adults, who so easily lose faith, and so she was stretched too thin and quickly grew ill when Pitch began his campaign against the children.

Afterwards, when it was only North and Bunnymund, the two traversed through the factory to the room in the living quarters where Faith was resting. Bunny was an old friend of Faith's and he worried for her often these days, when she seemed tired and had just a bit of strain around the eyes. Both of the Guardians were happy to see her sitting up and sipping hot cocoa while a handful of elves stood watch on the bedside table.

"How is she?" North asked the elves. One bobbed his belled head and shook his hand "so-so."

"Oh, hush," said Faith, gently putting her hand over it's face and pushing the elf back. She smiled kindly at her husband, "Nicholas, I'm fine, better by the moment thanks to you and the other Guardians. No need to ask the elves." She turned to Bunnymund, "Pasch, old friend, so nice to see you." At Bunny's tight smile she leaned forward ever so slightly and met his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm sure next Easter will go splendidly. And, I am well."

At her words and confident nod, Bunny relaxed visibly. "I worry for you," he said, reaching up to brush back his ears in a nervous gesture.

"I know you do," replied Faith, a twinkle in her eye, "but you are too wise a hare to let such worries effect you. I've been here for four-thousand years; I will survive this as well. Now, leave me alone with my husband."

Bunny rolled his eyes and, tapping his enormous foot on the floor, disappeared into one of his tunnels."

The moment Bunny was gone Faith pushed back the blankets and stood gently. "See, dorogaya moya, as good as new." She held out her hand and her husband took it, stepping close and cupping her face tenderly. North towered over her. When he had only just begun to exist she watched over him, but now it was his turn to protect her.

"If anything happened to you…" his voice trailed off as an anguished look crossed his features.

Faith reached up to cover the large hand that held her face, "But nothing did, you did well, you led them well."

North leaned forward to rest his forehead against his wife's and sighed softly, "ya tebya lyublyu, angel moy."

Faith smiled at North, her eyes a little glossy. "I love you, too."

They shared a brief heartfelt kiss before the sound of a gagging elf pulled them apart, chuckling.

"So, I hear you've been tormenting the yetis in my absence." Faith said, not relinquishing her husband's hand.

North laughed, "They complain too much, they are fine."

Faith linked her arm with North's and began to guide him toward to door, "Why don't you show me? I heard you've perfected the gyroscopic Frisbee. That must be quite a sight."

North's eyes lit up with wonder as he opened the bedroom door for the both of them, "Ah, yes! We are in the second stage of testing! The challenge was to counteract the resisting force of the motion without slowing the internal rotation."

"How interesting," said Faith, her eyes watching her husband endearingly. "How did you do it?"

"Well, serdtse moy, you see…"

The bedroom door closed after the couple, leaving five elves alone in a wood carved room. One made a move to follow but another grabbed him by his belled hat and pulled him back with a tsking sound. With shrug he turned with his kin to the plate of cookies left on the floor and began to eat.

* * *

Definitions:

Pasch - an old word for Easter

dorogaya moya – my dear - in Russian (English lettering)

ya tebya lyublyu, angel moy – I love you, my angel - in Russian (English lettering)

serdtse moy – my heart - in Russian (English lettering)


End file.
